Hymn Of The Fayth
by Miki-Death-Strike
Summary: Only a select few may rid Spira of a terrible destruction, the coming of Sin. Upon Yevon's betrayal, Yuna and her guardians must seek the truth to shatter an ancient cycle of death, and a boy, yearning to return home, must understand his ultimate fate.
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X.

Introduction: Hey. I thought it was time for me to make a novelization of one of the Final Fantasy series. Why did I choose X? Well, maybe it was because I . . . hm . . . I really don't know why. It never occurred to me that this question would be asked. Maybe I'll have the answer some other time. Well, I'll be seeing you guys. And don't forget to review!

_**Hymn of the Fayth**_

**Prelude**

_Summoner's Pilgrimage_. A journey by religious means to holy grounds, in which to obtain mystical energies, meant only for the heart of a Summoner. _Guardians_. The support and/or supporter(s) of a Summoner, whom they must protect through perilous travels._ Summoners_. Mortals who are attuned to the despairs of their people's suffering. They rise from their people's perennial sorrow and become stronger with their hope. Summoners are the only mortals able to defeat destruction itself. _Sin_. An immortal entity born from the embers of war. It is said that this terrible deity ruined a one-thousand-year-old civilization and its age of Machina. _The teachings of Yevon_. A system made to bring the people of Spira solace. Is the foundation of Spira's religion, and is also Spira's ruling power in which its pupils abide by. Temples lay scattered throughout the land of Spira as objects of the teachings. The use of Machina are forbidden under these teachings.

Old stories will fade with the rise of new beginnings. A civilization may perish by the hands of destruction, and only a select few may be able to save it. Spira's dream to once again live without the sporadic coming of Sin still burns through doubt.

A man yearning to return home from whence he came will realize that his own existence will diminish, offering Spira a new chance to live. As we gather to learn the past and move on, remember the stories of our ancestors and understand that the smallest glimmer of hope can be enough to overcome a devastating terror.

_Listen to my story. . . . This may be our last chance._


	2. Chapter I: City of Dreams

_**Hymn of the Fayth**_

"_He's not going to like this."_

-Auron

**Chapter I: City of Dreams**

Scintillating like growing ideas, the stars painted a luminous night sky, just as the dark reached its peak. They resembled the energy surging throughout the crowd, all appearing for a chance encounter with their favorite sports star. Amateur blitzers practiced within the perimeter of the waiting spectators, they too finding their endeavors to maintain patience difficult. He almost appeared to be late, the way the crowd waited for nearly an hour for some opportunity to greet the blitzball star.

Mumbles and mutters somehow echoed throughout the single street as the citizens conversed with each other. They were standing before the barely visible structure which concealed the person they wanted to see. Had it not been for the overhead lights protruding from the deck-like roof above, the house would have been obscured by the black voids of the night.

It was absolutely breathtaking, the way the dwelling stayed aloft the softly churning waters of the sea, giving it the illusion that it was floating. It had the look of a fortieth century apartment, having stairs made from wooden planks and painted metal alloys encircling the entirety of the exterior. It was nestled just below the large deck above and very compact. The home was made for at least a family of two. A house looking so sumptuous as this was only meant for Gillionaires and such.

"Look! There he is!" an over-zealous individual yelled aloud. His index finger pointed toward what everyone awaited. The crowd's decibel level raised, boosting the star's excitement. They walked, ran, and even charged toward the opening door that hid the blitzer's figure.

"Come on! Let's get a better look!" The woman wasn't sure if the small and hooded boy heard her, but she wasn't sticking around in the back of the crowd to find out. His shoes were missing and his stubby limbs were exposed to the humid air. The boy followed, prepared to greet the boy he had been dreaming about.

Aureate light poured from the widening door, contrasting with the blackness. Whiffs of cool air assaulted the hot crowd just as the teenager made his appearance. He shut the door behind him and took only a step.

"It's Tidus! Finally made his appearance," one mumbled.

"Geeze, I hope he notices me," another whispered, facing her girl friend beside her. The blitzer's bright sneakers scuffed the wooden platform below him as his approached his fans.

"Mr. Tidus, you gonna' show us that move tonight?" a boy asked, his eyes seeping with admiration. The teenager spun to recognize the small voice. Though Tidus was tired of hearing that same question his fans were running into extinction, he managed a smile.

"That'll be for you to find out," he replied, folding a knee to meet the boy's level. Girls behind him giggled with delight as they intently watched him. "Well, I'll be seeing ya'." Tidus clamped his hand down onto the boy's bush of red hair. He then turned toward the tittering girls and found one of them holding a blitzball before her eyes.

Garish beams of streetlights stretched across the platform and it stopped short of Tidus's house which, at the moment, produced shadows around itself. The streetlights' enormous beams couldn't reach the apartment.

The blonde maneuvered his way to the girls and waited for them to do the talking. "Could you sign my ball?" The female's raspy voice was almost a whisper behind the blitzball. She extended her arms, holding the blitzball to him.

"Of course." The woman no older than Tidus's seventeen years supplied him with the black marker. He autographed his name, it having a fancy tinge to it. Her ball was handed back to her. She thanked him softly, her hazel eyes glistening with the white of the streetlights. The brunette's friend beside her extended her ball as well.

"Could you sign mine too," she requested, shifting to her sides. Tidus did the same to her ball as he did with the brunette's.

"Here ya' go." The ball revolved around his finger shortly before it was positioned back into the female's hands. The girls widened their eyes, realizing what they had just received. Tidus was a celebrity and his signature meant a fortune to anyone bearing it. The girls laughed at this and thanked him. Anything of Tidus's was worth a fortune. Though irritating, Tidus found his fans to be laughable. Bring someone with skills surpassing himself, and the crowd would abandon him before the blink of an eye. But, it was better to enjoy it while it lasted, right?

"Hey, if I score a goal . . . I'll do this." The blitzer raised his gloved hands to the skies and his fingers curved to resemble a broken triangle. The two girls were sexy and a little of his charm, they deserved. He liked having the attention of girls like the two before him. "That'll mean it was for you, okay?" He dropped his hands. "What seat?"

"East block, in the front row." The brunette fondled with her new prized possession, her grin all the more the happiest.

"Fifth from the right." the other added, turning toward her friend as if angered by her minimal description of where they were to be seated.

"Got it." Tidus nodded his head, his blonde forelocks descending to his sapphire eyes.

"I know a perfect spot after the game, just the two of us. . . ." the redhead whispered, a sexy twinkle in her brown eyes. Tidus simply nodded and moved on; he'd better cool it and concentrate on the tournament.

A barricade of boys attempting to impress Tidus with their amateur moves of balancing the blue and white ball atop their heads halted his progress to get to the stadium. When he was near enough, the children formed an alignment with one stepping forward.

"Hey! Could you sign our balls too?" The boys were too enthusiastic and joyous to notice if Tidus were to refuse.

"Alright, but take it easy," the teenage blitzer chuckled, quickly took the marker the second little boy handed to him, and inscribed his name on the blitz ball.

"One! Two! Three!" The boys motioned the ritualistic "good-luck" stance and as they finished, the youngsters yelled simultaneously, "Teach us how to blitz!" Tidus folded his arms and he could already see that the boys knew he couldn't.

"I gotta' game to play. How 'bout afterward?" His left hand found its way to the nape of his neck. The kids were silent.

The tiny voice was almost a whisper lost within the humid winds, but Tidus understood every word clearly and he brought his attention around to the speaker. "You can't tonight. . . ." The hood obscured the child's features, but still, he seemed oddly familiar to Tidus. Probably one of those anonymous fans who were constantly in the front row seats.

The kid was surprisingly right, however. Tidus needed his rest to practice in the morning for the second game of the tournament and his team was against the best of the best. Of course, they had to win tonight, but a victory was expected. "Um . . . How about sometime tomorrow?" His laugh was a nervous one. He wasn't sure if the boys would accept and he was sort of hoping they wouldn't. The three turned to each other, contemplating whether or not their mothers would allow it. When they were finally able to answer, only one spoke for them."Alright! Thanks Tidus!"

Freed from the now descending exhilaration of the crowd, Tidus headed forward. Broad streets were devoid of any hover cars or motor-hover bicycles when the blonde blitzer finally reached the inner city, mostly everyone had already gone ahead to the stadium. Diminutive crowds however still lingered by the edge of the streets, conversing with each other while stealing glances at the young man running toward the stadium. He was making a spectacle, speeding down the streets because he was slightly late. The media equipped themselves with the new self-develop digital cameras and they began snapping shots of him, ready to show their snapshots to the public in the morning.

Ah, the sumptuous city, A-East Zanarkand—a metropolis that thrived on technologically superior machines that delved into the ample amount of oil and fuel supply underground. It resided before the coast of D-North Zanarkand, which was also known for its excessive use of superior technology. Vast waters surrounded the metropolis' perimeter and the cool breath of the sea occasionally visited on the mildly hot days.

Illuminations of the streetlights and anchored lights lit the city with exuberant colors during the day and dim gold-orange color during the night, bringing everything to life. Aureate metal buildings stood high across the skyline as it banked the empty streets. They seemed to follow Tidus as his slowing stride continued. As if the burning oil graced the buildings with such radiant color, golden light seemed to reach throughout Zanarkand. When morning came, the light dispersed as if submissive to the beauty of daylight and the sun replaced the artificial lighting.

Though attractive, Tidus despised this part of town because of those early memories that assailed him each time he'd step foot into the city. That damned face was waiting for him with every corner he took, every alleyway he walked, and almost every building he passed. He knew they'd be waiting for his presence—those ebony eyes appeared to trace him, knowing no rest. Were they obsessed over him because of his success? Or were they watching him with contempt because of who he was years ago? Tidus wasn't sure. The many times he tried to not care, it ended up making him angry.

It was his cocksure grin and his so-called majestic posture that peeved Tidus so. Each time his chin raised to that same building featuring the large billboard of his damned father, anger spewed from him along with those cursed memories of his past. An answer would never conjure up when Tidus questioned his stopping to stare at his father whom everyone admired and worshiped.

"The hell are you looking at, old man?" Disdain poured from his aquatic orbs as he dismissed his old man's look for the umpteenth time. His feet seemed to act on their own because they were running ahead, to the stadium, where the renowned blitzball player could escape the face of his father.

* * *

"The Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament has finally come folks!" The commentator's screech reached the crowded audience and reverberated around the arena. Only minutes ago he had been reminiscing about his past and how the present seemed exactly the same ten years ago. He had realized that the crowd was growing bored, so the commentator carried on about the importance of the tournament, something the crowd lived for. Cheers and whistles helped raise the spectator's noise level up by three decimals. "Will it be the A-East Zanarkand Abes taking the victory? Or the C-South Zanarkand Duggles? I don't think that I'm the only one excited here, folks!"

The stadium barely held any light within it. The center was where the azure speckles of light sprouted from. A huge and metal circular ring, suspended magnetically, seemed to react to the screaming crowd as it began its increasing spinning rounds, engulfing the hover platforms within the blitz ring.

"In just one year, he has made himself a valuable player! He's Jecht's blood! . . . What moves will he show us tonight? Will it be the ever brilliant Jecht Shot? Or something of his own?" the commentator screamed through the intercom. The stadium blasted with noise and excitement.

It usually took Tidus at least a minute to kick himself back into focus. He didn't need to think of who he _really _was playing for. The entire tournament was held in honor of some self-righteous and arrogant dead man who didn't even deserve such a celebration. The Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament was something to remind everyone of the untimely death of their hero, but to Tidus, the whole thing seemed like a festivity, rejoicing his father who no longer roamed the earth, and it was ridiculous.

The circular sidelines were dark with the sporadic flashes of electric illumination. He had spattered himself with the little water below his feet where most players cooled off before the game. The place was muggy and hot, but taking a dip within the sphere pool would cure his overheated body and wake him back up.

Oceanic eyes shot open as if responding to a just conjured thought. When the light became brighter with the electric power inside the machines before him, that was when he became aware of the rubber blitz ball in his hand.

Gears of machine boosters and type 6 FS water-spouters shifted with the power of electricity. Water sprang from the mechanical 'water-suckers' which were engraved into the ground below the stadium, having tunnels and pipes leading directly to the unending water supply of the ocean.

The scent of the sea entered the arena just as the machines cleansed the water of any harmful sea-dwelling parasites and such. The enormous metallic ring was swirling around the sprouting water with astonishing speed as it created a translucent barrier that acted as a permeable wall, allowing for players to pass through but not the water. Once the swirling ring's task was completed, technicians behind the stadium entered the codes for it to stop, and reposition it to a vertical halt. The electric current stopped as well, and then more of the blinding white lights that appeared blue underwater clicked on.

Thousands of gallons of cleaned ocean water filled the enormous suspended sphere pool and the C-South Duggles were already filing into the pool, swimming about to get their adrenaline pumping. Their hi-tech leather garments protected them from the sometimes chilly water and the close-fitting uniforms allowed swift movements down the watery court. They wore barely noticeable underwater masks that allowed them to breath underwater.

When the A-East Zanarkand Abes poured into the arena through a detachable tube, the audience squalled and leaped.

A hovering field-camera and score-keeping board swam throughout the blitz arena. Above the advertisements on the golden scoreboard were two digital zeros. Shots of Tidus and the Duggles lead player, Leggus, were shown to the crowd for an up-close view.

"Mid-fielder, Tidus takes his place at midpoint just as Leggus does the same!" Zanar's voice echoed throughout the coliseum.

When the whistle blew, the blitzball at the bottom of the court propelled forward, passing the two and returning back in short heart-stopping seconds. Leggus darted toward the protruding ball, but his maneuver wasn't as swift as Tidus', which resulted in the Abes gaining possession of the ball.

"Tidus has the ball! But will the Duggles let that pass?"

* * *

Receding waters rose with the creation of an enlarged watery hill, rolling toward the city and its buildings. Citizens—husband and wife, mother and child, grandfather and grandson alike—were racing to the edge of town, none of them certain as to what it was chasing them, but they figured that the monstrous wave of water wouldn't be outdone by them if they made it to the deepest depths of town, far from its reach.

The sleek ocean water, now finished with its turbulence, continued to mold itself into a spherical object, sucking away the rest of the ocean, as if arising from its eternal sleep. Screams bellowed throughout Zanarkand, yet they seemed to go ignored.

But one man stood against the fleeing residents, watching. Waiting.

Auron couldn't quite pinpoint the exact location of the ball of water above the emptying ocean, but it wouldn't matter, the watery object would soon destroy Zanarkand.

His pearly wine bottle, made from granite, was almost down to its last drop and his so-called 'long-departed' friend would have been glad to accept the last drink provided that Auron would share it with him. His ebony-gloved hands reached for the beverage at his side, secured to him by a clamp attached to his belt. When he raised the bottle to head- level as if offering the rest of the fine wine to the arising sea-monster, it was then that the chilled devil made its move over the city.

The old man stayed aloft the broad streetlight of the overpass from which the perfect angle of the invader could be seen. What he had awaited for had at last arrived to carry him away once more, but this time, it had to add another. Finally, his true purpose would be realized. Auron chuckled and jumped from the pole. "It's about time. . . ." he spoke to no one.

People whirled passed him with no regard to his slow pace. The citizens' lives that were in danger couldn't compare to what adventure and destiny the boy would be given once the creature demolished Zanarkand. Besides, this was the city that never slept, and that applied to the residents here as well. With that fact, Auron sighed and, talking to the huge sphere nearing the shoreline, said, "He's not going to like this. . . ."

* * *

The tackle had knocked the wind from Leggus's lungs and he went flailing from the court and into the jolting crowd. It was Tidus' payback for the harsh punch Leggus had given him early on. The Abes were leading by one, and the game had barely begun.

Another C-South Zanarkand player passed to his left where another player waited. Their lead blitzer had been blown out for the round. The Left-Forward swam for the ball but instead, fumbled it.

Morey, the Right-Forward, quickly obtained the loose ball for the Zanarkand Abes and he immediately threw it into the air after Tidus' signal.

"Oh! And the Zanarkand Abes has chosen the two-man tactic! Tidus is going for the ball! He's . . ."

The Sphere Shot was going to assure another point added to the scoreboard, then he'd fulfill the promise he had made to those sexy girls and throw up the victory sign to them. Afterward, he would call for a time-out and reorganize his team for another strategy.

But when the blonde star bobbed his head and body back for his feet to hit the ball into the goal, he eyed something large and monstrous long enough to see burning darts jutting from its round body. Upon the sight, Tidus' thoughts had fled from his mind leaving him with nothing but utter and unreal fear.

The surroundings seemed to stop and erase in time with his mind. Cheering and yelling and the sounds of a blitzball tournament were no more. His fans were already fleeing into the unknown beyond the safety of the stadium and his body descended back into the icy waters of the sphere pool, his team already making for a hasty leave. Tidus' heart was pounding loudly into his ears, and even with the noisy audio of crashing buildings, the beating prevailed over it.

Crashing! Running! Crushing! Falling! Dying! _Crashing_! So much terror. Zanarkand was in a panic now that the sea-monster had reached land. People were dodging collapsing rubble as others were dying and falling under the debris, screaming for someone, anyone to help them.

When the sphere pool begun to spill an enormous amount of water, its rotation ring crashing to the floor of the stadium in a hollow metallic clank, Tidus had managed to hold unto a metal ledge just before the enormous blitzball court. He had been violently thrown from the force of the swaying pool as it released the water inside it. Realizing that his hands were too wet and slippery to hold his weight, gravity swallowed him and he fell onto whatever was below, his scream ripping threw the night.


	3. Chapter II: Sin

_**Hymn of the fayth**_

"_What are you laughing at?"_

-Tidus

**Chapter II: **Sin

The rubble from the statues that once stood proud beside the stadium's entrance were now stepping stones for Tidus. He had used them to reunite his feet with the ground which was now overflowing with the rain of the sea monster. Numb and head pounding, Tidus surveyed his surroundings, and found himself lost in a foreign land.

He watched the buildings that were nothing but crumbled metal and brick, and the cries of the people increased dramatically, adding to his mounting headache. Tidus chose to believe that they were just in shock, their grief-stricken faces blurring passed him as he moved. He didn't want to accept the possibility that Zanarkand and its citizens were dying, fading.

The crimson flap of the familiar old man's coat was caught in the powerful winds of destruction. Tidus grasped sight of the figure who appeared to be hiding behind more debris and broken rocks. Just knowing who it was gave Tidus a little more relief, gave him his sanity back.

"Hey! What are you doing here, Auron?" He was grateful to his water-proof pinafore as it didn't cling to his cold and clammy skin like his other clothing would. He could feel the weight of his yellow jacket's hood, which didn't resist water, as he made his way toward the tranquil man.

"I was waiting for you. . . ." With that, Auron led the way down the haphazard streets. Angered by his calm response, Tidus yelled to him,

"What are you saying? We have to . . ." But he knew Auron was probably a million steps ahead of him on the getting-to-safety tactic, so he quieted and followed, actually expecting this from Auron. More hysterical people were shoving others out of the way. It was like moving through a barricade of a robust beast. Barely having the strength to push through the crowd, Tidus adjusted his eyes ahead of him.

Street lamps were flickering to a mere speckle of light, each of the alignment of lights falling and dying as he passed them. The atmosphere had become much more humid with the cool waters scattered about the ground. Buildings that had been erected through stone had quickly eroded and had fallen while the metal exteriors of other buildings held its spot a bit longer.

It was only a matter of seconds when he lost sight of Auron. Just a quick glance of his new surroundings had afforded Tidus the loss of guidance. But he knew that if he kept running forward, then he would eventually meet back up with the old man . . . hopefully.

As Tidus continued to brush pass others, who were running the opposite way, a short tug abruptly stopped him, small fingers held onto him, denying him of further advancements. First, he thought it was Auron, there to rescue him from the stampeding crowd, but instead, it was that weird hooded boy again, his head lowered to the ground. He let go.

It was astonishing and confusing the way the people around the two discontinued their movements and their noises with the birth of a white light. Rubble hung in mid-air while the watery streets continued to flow nonetheless. A frozen backdrop that scared Tidus.

The diminutive male watched the blitzball star who could only stare in wonder at the stopped citizens whose running positions had been brought to a halt. Silence was once again attained in Zanarkand.

_Was this all a dream?_

"What the . . . ?" Was all Tidus could muster. He watched the three boys who asked him to teach them how to blitz before the game, turning behind them. But time had stopped them from completing the movement. Their eyes showed apprehension and tears.

"It begins." The hooded boy's voice brought Tidus' mind back to the present and around to him.

"W-What?"

"Don't cry."

Don't cry? Was that all he had to say? They were in the middle of a major crisis and the boy was worried about him crying? Hood-boy had nothing to worry about however; Tidus wasn't the type to break down and weep so easily. Yes, he was panicked, but wasn't that a required emotion for a person who didn't know what the hell was going on when in the middle of a crisis? Crying was for children, and he had been a child. But no longer.

The blonde stepped forward as though to touch the little guy. And it happened again. That short-lived fleck of blinding light appeared and he felt as if he were transporting through time in some unknown warp. The screams that had been paused resumed, and the chilly air that seemed to suck the breath out of Tidus assaulted him.

"Huh?" The teen couldn't ask the boy about his trick because he or _it_ had vanished. There was no sign of him far off into the distance or near him. "What's going on . . .?" Tidus then remembered Auron's disappearance as well. He didn't want to believe that Auron had neglected him and left with the boy.

"H-Hey wait," he exclaimed after spotting the old man. Relieved to see that the old man hadn't ditched him, Tidus screeched to him, "Hey, not this way! Aren't we getting out of here?" The teenager managed to catch his breath. People were running _away _from the sea-monster, not toward it. That was the direction he and Auron were to be heading.

The street they stood on was now desolate. The citizens had probably already gone ahead to safety. The boy hoped that everyone had made it to safely. Tidus shook his head in an attempt to wash away the horror he had experienced, to wash away dead figures that lay scattered about, lifeless and probably cold.

"Look," Auron commanded, his tone still serene as ever. He pointed to the black night skies.

There it was, the colossus that had started the entire nightmare. A ball of azure seawater hovered below the ebony skies as if imploring for the two to charge for it. The ball reminded Tidus of his father, the way it watched him and waited. Fear engulfed his heart as the thought of it attacking once more filled his spinning mind.

"We called it 'Sin'." Auron was still staring when Tidus questioned his knowledge,

"Sin?" Tidus repeated. The streaks of Auron's graying hair waved with the calming zephyrs. He faced Tidus, his cinnamon eyes encased within dark sunglasses that slid down the bridge of his nose, watching him. "Who called it that?" the boy queried.

The answer had to wait. Auron was watching the skies again and at that moment, Tidus saw a glint of blue-white light sprout from within Sin.

A slimy tail protruded from behind one of the standing aureate buildings when Tidus did decide to watch what Auron was seeing. It curved and straightened, resembling that of a ceckurpo cat's tail found all around Zanarkand. Hardened scales fell from the sleek and slimy snake, contacting the ground and cracking it. Wings that had a clear and sticky secretion about them sprouted from the flat erect shells, revealing enlarged insect creatures as they slowly moved forward, as if experiencing life for the first time.

An alignment of them came tumbling to the ground. They began swarming around the two, biting and scratching, their wings clouding the skies and ground.

"Sinscales. . . ."Auron muttered. "They're sinspawn."

While Tidus desperately tried to ward the ugly flying creatures, Auron began mashing them with something. Tidus wasn't sure. He had only a speckle of light to go by. He guessed that it was some type of metal material. A sword!

A creature lunged forward, its beady black eyes aiming for Tidus' arm. The teenaged star jerked back, falling to the ground. Those creatures were nothing like the animals or other shelled creatures he had faced once. They were more ferocious and hungry for fresh human blood. What _were_ they?

"Here. Take it." The hilt was veiled with white cloth and its acute edge had been painted with the tint of blood. Its golden bottom would have shined under the night along with the silver aligning the red blade. Tidus reluctantly grabbed for the sword, his arm taut with nervousness. Auron continued to hold it with him until Tidus was able to stand on his own with it. The two watched it's shining body glisten shortly under the thinning wings of the insects. It began to fall. The heavy sword brought its new owner downward, but Tidus' grip was good enough that he didn't drop it. ". . . A gift from Jecht."

"What," the boy turned. "My old man?" The creatures had landed and their bodies no longer clouded the few remaining street lights of the night.

Hissing sounded around the two, compelling Tidus to remember that the insects were still attacking them. He didn't need distractions right now about his old man. He had a sword for the creatures, and getting them out of town was what mattered.

With the new equipment, Tidus swatted his weapon toward the enlarged insects. The weight of it once again brought him down. He wouldn't allow a few bugs to defeat him. This was his town after all, and he had to protect it if no one else would.

"I hope you know how to use it." Auron was standing with his large sable sword shouldered onto the juncture of his neck, its enormous sheath hanging behind Auron. He adjusted the sword so that it would stay upon his shoulder.

"I gotta' pretty good idea."

"Alright then, cut through the ones barring your path!" Auron commanded, his tone now rising. Tidus wondered if he was finally angered.

This being his first lesson with the sword, Tidus used both his hands to slice the gooey-blooded insect before him. A wing fell from the creature, leaving Auron with a job to finish. His mighty sword severed the creature into two and they ran forth.

Tidus had no time to notice the glowing strings of phenomena rising from the fiend, but he did notice a slight change in the air. It seemed lighter and a bit more warmer.

Another swarm of insects came raining on the two as they cut and slashed their way through. Auron walked closer to Tidus who aimlessly swung his sword. He touched his sweaty arm.

"Go after the front ones. We'll run afterward." Auron stroked down another creature and Tidus wondered how he could possibly stay calm in this situation. The old man eyed Tidus as if waiting for him to follow his example. Tidus gripped the hilt of his crimson sword firmer, this time, using a single right hand. He went after a left one which sided with another. His sword scraped the left dark creature. "Put those muscles to use!" Auron yelled. Tidus took another dive, this time, successfully killing the oversized insect. "Let's go!"

They were now running toward the spherical mass of levitating water, dodging more falling shelled creatures and heading up the broken cliff of the overpass. A vibration began shaking the ground beneath, causing small crevasses within the ground to expand.

The culprit of the ground-splitting ruckus was the liquid tail that had ejected the flying insects from its body. It had detached itself from the "waterball", Sin, its roots now residing deep within the ground. Its tentacles glowed with jaded light and they swayed languidly to the sides.

"The final test," Auron spoke softly. Tidus found himself following after Auron again. Just as they made it toward the tentacles and its rooted tail, it felt as if gravity had risen from its depths and immediately sucked life from the two. The blonde felt as if his very skin was being tugged from his body, and then placed back. For a short period, his lungs failed to draw breath.

Gasping was what Tidus was doing and running was what Auron was doing. "The tentacles! Aim for them," the old man squalled. "That's where it draws its power." The old man pushed his sunglasses back up the bridge of his slender nose just as another wave of life-sucking gravity targeted them. The many swaying tentacles whipped at each other as the two warriors neared its body.

"What do you mean? They're all the way up there!" the blonde panicked, flailing his arm in the direction of the tentacles that swayed in midair. Tidus pulled his sword in the front of him and mashed away at the surrounding insects. "How are we . . . ?"

"How else? Climb." The stem below the tentacles seemed inactive and it lingered before the ground as if the gravity the tentacles had used affected it as well. Auron rammed his sword into the lazuline creature's stem and he used the hilt to climb to the head. When he was far up enough, he grabbed for Tidus' hand and lifted him as well.

The tentacles were waving again, and Tidus was studying them. Auron pulled his sword from the tail and slashed two tentacles which were slapping each other. Tidus, to the right, swung his sword and, backhandedly, hit another.

The creature now reminded Tidus of a living plant he had recently seen in a horror movie, the way it moved its stem-like tentacles after taking harsh beatings.

The tentacles began wriggling again, sending another spell of force unto the two. Tidus went sprawling to the ground as the energy absorbed his adrenaline and made his muscles feel noticeably heavier. He quickly rose from the ground, struggling to hold his sword properly. His hands were shuddering and sweating beneath his ebony gloves, but he chose to ignore it.

To his own surprise, however, Tidus was climbing the creature again, despite his tired muscles and his overheated body. When he reached the top, he saw that Auron had cut another one of the tentacles. There were only two left.

"Drink this," Auron commanded. He handed the boy a diminutive glass bottle having nothing more than clear contents. The blitzer jumped back from the tentacles again, landing on his backside. He quickly unscrewed the bottle and drank.

Having no taste but purity, the boy could feel a great amount of his vigor coming back. His eyes opened wide and his muscles suddenly felt the need to be used. He felt . . . a sudden rejuvenation and with that, he was ready to take down the faceless creature.

Swinging his sword with his left arm only, Tidus cut the plant's body. He watched as half of its structure shattered to the wet ground. Auron dived backward from the tentacles. When he landed, his blade charged for the fallen creature and he severed the remaining tentacles. It began to convulse violently before releasing sprouts of white and purple lighting. Auron gestured for Tidus to follow, but he was too indulged in the light emitting from the dead creature.

"Come! We must move quickly!" The two sword-wielders passed even more debris and broken streets, but out of the remaining metal buildings that stood was the one with Jecht's billboard on it, this, Tidus noticed.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, knowing well enough that the person within the billboard wouldn't respond. He had stopped talking to him years ago. Auron came to a stop and he found Tidus questioning his move. "What are you doing? Let's get out of here!" Tidus yelled, he was breathing heavily.

The old man's carmine armless sleeve played with the wind. Tidus never knew why Auron concealed his arm within the sleeve of his coat, and he never knew why he didn't ask him about it, maybe it was because Tidus didn't want to trigger any remembrance of an unhappy past. The inoperable arm was very useful, yet he only saw him pull it out in battle. "We're . . . expected."

"Huh?" The old man's words were oblique, and it was becoming tiring. "Gimme a break, man! Stop talking in riddles!"

"Let's go." Auron responded.

The two were doing even more running which aggravated Tidus. As if to annoy him further, shells began pouring down once more, an army of them, blocking their escape route . . . again.

"Ugh! I had enough of these things!" Auron halted the boy from attacking. They were fenced by the fiends, there was no getting away no matter how many they defeated, the fiends would continue to keep falling now that they were so close to Sin.

"This could be bad. . . ." Their wings were sprouting and their feet were lifting from the ground again. Auron had been in a situation such as this ten years past; he knew exactly how to handle it. He needed something that could kill the fiends more efficiently.

"Oh! Come on!" Tidus flailed his sword into the air, taking down the creatures nearest him. As he did so, Auron searched around. No luck in the world would save them unless they had something to wipe them _all_ out.

There! Auron saw it! Electricity! It was coming from somewhere. Its exact location was unknown for the creatures were blocking his vision. Auron swung around and prevented the insect-creatures from biting him. He swiftly moved toward Tidus. "Hey, watch the electrical light to your left. It must be a machine of some sort. Knock it down!"

"Is that an order?" he sarcastically queried. Tidus was already headed for the electrical machine hanging from the ledge of the overpass. The machine was an engine blown from a hover-mobile that the sea monster had diminished.

"Do it!" Auron yelled. The battery spinning through the power of the electric waves was what powered the engine. Tidus figured that if he could knock the battery from its source, then the machine's right half would fall into the leaking oil that escaped the underground below, causing a huge explosion that could wipe out the creatures. Tidus wasn't sure if they could get away in time, but he trusted Auron well enough. The old man was right behind him, fighting off any creatures who were trying to destroy their chance at escaping. Tidus punched and sliced at the device, trying to make it fall over the ledge, repeating these two basic moves. "Hurry, time is dwindling!"

"Yeah, I hear you!" The boy was grunting and panting. Beads of sweat fell onto the machine causing small sparks to fly. When he did manage to knock the battery from its dying electricity, he moved back with Auron and heard the explosion of oil meeting electrical current and fire.

Auron threw the boy to the ground and covered him. The electricity and burning fire created a chain reaction with the burning oil below, and it exploded, rising angry and destructive flames from the ground. Auron waited for the burning flames to engulf the creatures around them, until they were burned away. He could feel the heat and the flames pass over him, and Tidus saw that none of it appeared to affect him, surprisingly and impossibly. Debris flew as well as the remains of dead insects.

"How are you doing that . . . ?" Tidus was shushed by Auron. He wanted to know how the old man was able to ward off the flames without any effort. The next thing Tidus knew, he was being raised from the ground and being coerced to run again.

"You'll see soon. Now Go!" Auron shoved the boy forward, the streets spraying puffs of fire from below. A massive explosion followed and it nearly knocked Tidus to the ground had his feet not jumped before the tremble. He dared not to look back. He didn't want to see the result of Auron's sacrificing himself so that he could escape. Tidus didn't want to see another dead body sprawled any which way again.

The boy's sprint lasted until he was well enough in reach of a ledge that protruded from another overpass. This time, he was able to grasp and hold on to it. The heat of those burning flames below had almost dried his hands and body.

As he began climbing the fragment of a building, echoing cries of dying creatures became distant above the . . . moving debris? Something was pulling the rubble and the dead bodies into the air, and he was being pulled with it. Poles and pipes and streetlights whirled passed Tidus, but he was oblivious to it, his main concern being his safety. Bits of buildings lifted into the air as if some invisible force was pulling them to the heavens above. The large dome of the stadium far across from him was following the objects as well. It was then that Tidus realized that the same ledge he was hugging was being sucked up as well. With the convulsion of the moving ledge, it was becoming difficult for the teen to hold on.

His muscles contracted above the rising piece of building and he tried desperately to hold on. But he was slipping.

Believing that his end was near, a boot scraped the rising building's surface, and Tidus' eyes sprinted upward, facing the man he'd thought he would never see again.

"A-Auron!" Tidus cried, his fingertips now the only thing keeping him from falling. "Auron!" Their eyes met as the old man responded to the boy's calling. He grabbed the collar of Tidus' yellow jacket and lifted him to head-level, the suction of whatever force was pulling them making the boy's weight significantly lighter. Tidus was flailing about, his attempt to find ground unsuccessful. When he opened his eyes, blinding light reflected into them. It was as if entering the sun itself.

An entirely separate universe was what they were entering, it having a sun of its own. The peculiar hole which sucked the debris was layered with discolored spongy materials, and it waved and spun in slow circular motions. It couldn't be the _sea-creature_, could it?

"You are sure?" Auron was asking the swallowing hole. There was no reply, but Auron could feel it. He nodded and spun his head back around to Tidus who could do nothing but hope to be freed. "This is it. This . . . is _your _story. It all begins . . . here."

The blinding light made his eyes twitch and he screamed, protesting against Auron's forceful pulling and his disappearing face. Then, he was being lifted into the aureate, godly light, into what he thought was oblivion.


	4. Chapter III: Otherworld

_**Hymn of the fayth**_

"_Fryd ec drec . . . ? Fiend!"_

-An Al Bhed

**Chapter III: Otherworld**

He felt relief rush through him when Zanarkand came into view, dismissing his apprehension. The night was cloudless like before and the streets, from where he could see, were still vacant. Only the streetlights accompanied them. He was still alive and so was Zanarkand and its citizens!

"Hey!" The voice came to him with familiarity. "Hey!" it repeated. Twisting his head toward the garish light of the familiar advertising reel just before his home, Tidus expected to see the face of his old man. He expected to see Jecht looking over at him with contempt and insincerity. But instead, who he was watching was himself. The seven-year-old figure was standing still and he appeared to be transfixed by the blitzball rolling under his feet.

Tidus wanted to swim down to the boy, who stood before his home, and smack some sense into him; Jecht would never appreciate the boy no matter how much he attempted to surpass his blitzing skills. Instead of gracing the boy with his hand, Tidus waited above the small him and kept his distance. He wanted to swim away from the scene and recoil somewhere within the confines of his home, where there was an endless supply of tranquility and . . . breath.

Tidus realized that he was dreaming. Dreaming about the past, not about the present Zanarkand. He was dreaming about the angry and frustrated little boy he had been so long ago. He was dreaming about his father. _Jecht._

Now all he could think about was how cold and damp his metal necklace felt upon his collarbone and the peculiar dream. Tidus had washed up on a wooden raft which a rock was blocking from moving. His body was unable to move and his muscles were cramping. Subsequently, his mind played back all that had happened to him. He recollected how perfect the night had been, and how everyone appeared lighthearted and cheerful as they went about their daily lives. The weather forecaster had predicted a light rain before the end of the night, but she couldn't foretell the upcoming nightmare that swept Zanarkand and left ruin in its wake.

Just the thought of what had happened coerced the teen to shake it away, but he knew he wouldn't be able to—not for a long while.

Auron had steered him away from death's grip, but was this where he was going to abandon him? In some place where water overflowed land? Tidus had no idea where he was. This wasn't Zanarkand for sure. Though it had lots of water surrounding the cities, none of it ever reached land. And the floating objects here were bricks and stone. There were no metal buildings or flashing lights. No sounds of civilization reverberated around the area. Rising silver haze obscured the distance beyond and continued to travel above the gray water. Gloomy copper clouds veiled the skies and the small drops of rain seemed to fall into place with the frequent flashes of lightening. A storm was approaching.

All that accompanied Tidus was an average-sized bird whose gray and burgundy plumage became damp under the falling rain. It sat aloft an eroding brick that had stopped drifting when it hit another.

"Anybody there?" The bird flapped its wings, then rested as if annoyed by the boy's yelling. "Auron?" The old man didn't answer. Tidus was becoming frustrated, partially because Auron was the person who brought him to this quiet place and because he was becoming lonely and scared. "Hey!" The only thing answering him back was his fading echo and the sporadic waves of thunder.

When he screamed again for someone to discover him, the moist bird took flight into the blackening skies, and that was when Tidus realized that much more rubble was all over the place. Copper brick debris floated idly by in the murky waters, and the smell was a musky scent, so thick and palpable that it seemed to cling to his skin. Tidus' eyes followed the bird's beating wings, and the direction it flew in had unraveled an eroding building akin to an abandoned mansion in the moving foggy distance.

The scars of time had reduced the building to ruin. Bricks and concrete lay scattered beside the eroded stairs which delved into the gray waters. The building seemed to beckon to him by the way it stood, high as a mountain, showing itself off to him.

Tidus' body still ached as well as his head when he moved to lift himself off of the raft. His yellow sneakers were still underwater and his feet were another thing that needed rest. Nevertheless, the blond needed to protect himself from anything and anyone in this foreign place, and that building would probably offer its protection once inside.

"Why not?" he spoke, his voice repeating itself. Knowing that he could stand and walk into the water allayed his concern about not being able to swim to the ruin. Though his limbs didn't cease their aching, the cool water made his fingers and legs slightly numb, bringing relief. He swam forward, slowly at first, keeping his head above the murky waters.

Finally, Tidus reached the crumbling steps that led beyond and paused. The arch above the concrete walkway had bits of dust falling from its golden crest, tickling Tidus' nose. As he passed by the stairs, a narrow walkway pointed toward the disintegrating building, but it broke off as did the entrance of the abandoned structure. From where he could see, the entryway was lost within the water. It required some more swimming to reach it.

Tidus slowly continued down the bridge, watching the still waters below him. Maybe he had landed into another part of Zanarkand? Somewhere on the outskirts? Maybe if he slept in the mansion for a while and regained his full strength, he could search until he found civilization again? He might not even have been thrown that far from A-east.

As he looked, the serenity of the water gave him the feeling that instead, something was lurking deep within the water. He felt as if whatever it was smelled and watched him. At this thought, the boy paused again, as if taking careful precautions not to agitate whatever was in the water.

Stopping hadn't been wise. The bridge was suddenly crumbling under his weight, as with all eroding rock, and it crashed into the gray below. Tidus' body hit the liquid with force again, his head nearly contacting with a falling rock. He raised his head to the surface and gasped for breath, letting the buoyancy of the water lift his body. The feeling of being watched still lingered and his eyes were already skipping across the decaying statues where moss began to overlap the stoned figures. His eyes searched around for anything peculiar and also for the opening to the building he wanted to enter.

It was too short of time to notice any opening because something bright and rapid was headed for his legs underwater. With no idea of where the sword Auron had given him resided, the boy began his rapid swim for safety, though he didn't know where safety might be.

Sharp teeth were nipping at his ankles, and he could feel another's fins brushing against his damp skin. Tidus endeavored to keep his eyes forward, looking back would only decelerate his swim. That small glimpse of yellow tinged with orange gave him the idea that these _creatures_ were perhaps tropical. And if so, them being in a damp and cold place such as this wasn't a healthy living environment for them, so why were they here? And why were they after _human_ flesh? It never occurred to Tidus to study their size, he was in a desperate race for safety. Detail could wait.

When he did steal a short glance backward, large fish with overlapping lips violently competed with each other as they chased the blitzer. Another was behind the first two, and when Tidus noticed the third fish, he also caught a gleaming red glimpse of the sword Auron had presented him with.

_There it was!_ Floating to the bottom beside the foot of an eroding underwater statue. Its hilt met the wet statue and it became still. Heart pounding heavily, the boy abruptly curved. His teammates of the Zanarkand Abes always loved when he twisted his body so gracefully in the water to disorient his opponents whenever he was about to make a goal.

Now, he hoped that the fish would lose their way when he made the sudden turn, but they were fast on his trail, their agile bodies nearly encircling him. They seemed to copy his exact movements.

The blade was just beyond reach now and with this knowledge, Tidus eluded the three creatures by traveling behind the statue which the sword leaned against. He snatched the blade up and with his nearly final breath, he propelled vertically and let his lungs refill with the damp and refreshing air. As the wind traveled throughout his chest, the fish that had been chasing him readjusted their beady eyes and continued their pursuit.

An excellent blitzer always practiced holding one's breath until they were able to stay submerged underwater for at least 1 minute, but they were also given underwater masks as a precaution. Tidus had practiced holding his own breath before and the farthest he had ever gotten was 3 minutes. He was very weary and scared now so his emotions forced him to take quick breaths and he couldn't stay underwater for long. Under normal circumstances, he could hold it for much longer.

Moving onward, Tidus dived his body back into the chilly water, his blade now securely to his side. He had nothing to fear, at least for the moment, as the fish creatures followed him again. Azure eyes studied the bottom half of the building, but he still couldn't find an opening.

Abruptly, the water-dwellers protruded forward, their bodies arching out of the water and then landing in front of Tidus. He paused and slowly swam backward. Learning that it was no use to allow the fish to continue tiring him out, the blitzer decided to face them. He began swimming back to his pursuers.

Almost ramming into the first creature, Tidus swam downward and came back up, facing the second fish. His elusive and swift moves afforded him the chance to catch the second fish off guard and pass the first easily. He used his blade to sever the head of the fish. It twirled to the bottom as crimson blood sprouted from its gashed wound. Tidus began swimming again, coming back to the first creature.

As he charged for the first, the third water-dweller bit at his legs and soon, his arms. Tidus used his limbs to swat the enlarged fish away. It did leave, but the creature quickly returned and continued. The first fish dodged the swinging of Tidus' sword and in its evasive effort, the creature collided with the other water-dweller.

The creatures began dueling for their meal, biting and hitting each other. Tidus swam forward and hit the first dueling creature nearest him with an underhanded cleave. The creature cried out a watery squall in pain as it fell to its death.

Tidus continued his onslaught and aimed for the last creature. But as he prepared to thrust his mighty blade into the creature, it squirmed away swiftly. A slight grin on his face, the teen chased after it, unaware of the slight tremor the water was making.

His blade nicked the fiend's radiant yellow fin, but the fish was simply faster than Tidus. Had he grown that tired now that he couldn't keep up with the water-dweller? Just before the blitzer could make a turn and pass another corroding statue, large circular red dots blinked rapidly from beneath a dark alcove.

Crumbling bricks and rocks broke away and fell, making way for a huge gray claw that jabbed aimlessly at the water. Tidus understood why the fish now swam away from him faster than before. Somehow, the unknown lurking creature that was emerging from the blackness tasted the scent of fish, and now it had prey to feast upon.

Pale orange light emitted from the tip of the thick cords of flesh that flowed from behind the creature's enormous head. It's slender beak-like mouth opened wide, allowing bubbling water to enter as it neared the fleeing fish.

Tidus could only watch as the leviathan fiend hostilely gnawed at the unfortunate fish creature. The large monster waved it's heavy and curled claws as it spit the fish from its mouth. Blood sprayed out and dissolved in the water and the dead fish floated to the bottom. Obviously, it wasn't after fish flesh.

"What . . . ?" Tidus would have said had he not been submerged under the water. He watched in awe as the thing stretched,sending violent waves through the water. Its extremely beady black eyes landed onto the blonde boy with the crimson sword.

Having a caged copper exoskeleton that was hollow and showed nothing but it's spinal cord, the creature appeared to have no internal organs, not even intestines. It's huge sternum was covered by burgundy skin that probably concealed its beating heart and gills(if it had any). As it made its slow stride toward its next opponent, four curled tentacles below its enormous circular torso supported its swim to the teen. The water monster had a tanned hue, just as the skin of the thing that had swallowed Tidus and brought him here. Was this creature the one responsible?

Tidus quickly moved backward. He had no intention of fighting the mammoth, especially in the condition he currently was in. His muscles ached as well as his head, and his skill with the sword was still amateur and premature. The blitzer swam back to the surface and filled his lungs with sweet air. He searched around again, now even more desperate to find the abandoned edifice's opening. There had to be something he was overlooking.

The creature was knocking over underwater statues as it pursued the boy before it. Tidus slightly slowed down his moving eyes, and the moment he did, a black opening came into view. The small clearing, just large enough for him to fit through, was partly concealed underwater where more debris lay.

Tidus dived back into the water after getting his feel of air. He gripped his blade and found that he had spent too much time searching, for the creature was now inescapable. Its humongous gray claw swiped at Tidus's chest, sending him astray. He floated to a statue and hit it with some force. Breath escaped him, forcing him to reach the surface again for more breath.

The creature immediately followed suit, its claws heading for him again. Tidus took another breath of air and with his heart pounding heavily, he swam for the opening again. The creature struck again toward Tidus, but his sword was there to dodge the assault. He was forced back unto another piece of debris and the creature continued to mash its heavy weapon into the sword that now began to cut into his chest. He was being pushed back, further from the black opening across. He had to find some way to elude the enormous, murderous creature.

Tidus tried hard to push against the creature's claw, but it was in vain. The thing's mighty claw weapon overpowered him. The brick behind Tidus began to crack until it eventually broke away under the pressure, allowing the boy more room to back away. Tidus was freed from the monster's grip and he quickly swam away, not bothering to look back. The creature crashed into a nearby statue as it lost balance over the sudden jolt forward. It then let out a mighty cry and chased the blitzer again. When its claws could not reach Tidus, the thing began to open its slender mouth, its large and empty stomach sucking in the now twirling water. Tidus hurried to the opening, his fingers desperately stretching forth.

He felt the suction of the creature's swallowing. Water was pushing him back into the beast's mouth, but as he continued flailing his feet and arms as far and hard as he possibly could, the opening was becoming closer and closer. He could feel the cold and hollow breath of the creature on his back, his neck, in his ears.

Was he going to die?

Then, with a loud clank of armored bone, the suction ceased and more water spewed into the blackness before Tidus as he hurled forward with vehement force.

He slammed into bricks situated a upon a hard surface. Rubble flowed in with the rushing current of water and the entrance was sealed from the screaming creature.

Minutes that felt like hours passed and the noise of clanking and thrashing came to a stop. Pure silence bellowed throughout the damp place with the occasional drop of dripping water.

He was numb and he couldn't feel a damned thing. Tidus' body refused to move even an inch. His mind ached and he couldn't think of anything but closing his eyes. When he did, another dream of Zanarkand came into view.

* * *

Conditioning for blitzball with its grueling and impossible practice tactics had given Tidus the ability to rejuvenate quickly after a few long hours of rest and sleep. His muscles were still numb and a bit swore, but the headache had dissolved. He could stand with ease, but now his skin felt chilly against the cold air traveling about the dark inside of the building.

Tidus wasn't sure how much time had passed since his dream of seeing Zanarkand back to normal again. It felt as if he had been fighting those ugly fish creatures years ago, even though he knew it probably had taken place hours or even a day ago.

As the seventeen-year-old pushed a few rocks obscuring another entrance further into the abandoned structure, he could make out the wet carpet below his sneakers. It smelled of mildew and it had the color of vermillion tinged with gold at the ends. By the looks of it, perhaps there was an ancient civilization that had dwelled in these walls thousands of years ago? The embroidered symbols looked archaic and it would explain the condition of his deteriorating surroundings. As these thoughts came to mind, images of ghouls and ghosts flowed around Tidus' head. But such myths as that couldn't frightened him now, not after all he had been through.

A soft glimmer of firelight entered the black hallway beyond as he pushed the last of the rocks obstructing entrance away from the broken brick steps. He was relieved to find light within the pitch black as he took careful steps to one of the many lamp posts that encircled the room. Maybe someone else got stranded in this place as well, seeing as the flames from the posts were still bright and young. How else could he explain them being lit in such a damp and abandoned place? He wouldn't believe in spirits; not until he was found. He didn't want to lose hope, so he thought of nothing more than returning home to Zanarkand and being rescued within a day or two. . . .

When he neared the center of the underwater hall—which again rubble and broken debris littered the corners—thunder crackled with the chain of flashing electricity. He then noticed a statue having the face of some God or deity or something. Its bulging eyes watched Tidus, having flaring and wide nostrils. A red crown lay nestled between its protruding ears as its teeth, sharp and slender, showed through opened lips. It's body was square, having the shape of a beast, and it was holding a red flag.

Rain began to pelt down unto the outside of the building, and Tidus reacted by looking above him. He saw the circular balcony running along the spacious and hollow room. An opening could be seen on the far end above, and he began to grow curious.

". . . So cold . . ." he shivered, watching the miniature waterfall that cascaded from above the balcony. "Need fire. . . ." He searched around the rubble and quickly skipped over to the torches. Dropping his blade to the ground, Tidus prepared to be warmed. But when he stood near one of the torches, waves of comforting warmth did not flow from them. Perplexed, Tidus continued his search and slowly moved away.

That had done it. First, his home was destroyed by a strange entity, then he was confronted by peculiar monsters that seemed to lurk in every corner, and now he had experienced fire that didn't generate heat. What world had he been dropped into? Where was Auron when he needed questions to be answered? Even if the old fart was with him, would he know where it was Tidus had landed himself in?

An entryway wasn't far from where he was standing. Tidus passed over to the cold and wet door and when he tried to open it, nothing would budge.

He decided to look at the ground, unknown symbols were inscribed into the beige, stoned flooring and it led up to a small patch of burnt shrub in the center of the circular hall. It looked like the remains of a dead campfire that had been started recently. Tidus knelt down to the cold ground and examined the pile.

The tinder was more of ash than wood and if Tidus wanted a fire, he needed to find more. Standing from the ground, the blitzer rubbed his gloved fingers together. He began to walk over to the double stoned door to his left. As he neared, the figure of an angelic symbol was displayed unto the double doors. Golden and tattered wings protruded upward from the slender figure, as if imploring Tidus to enter.

Both of his gloved hands pressed against the doors and with a deep roaring protest, the stone opened forward. Gusting wind hit Tidus's damp hair and his face, and he squinted at the cold. Walking further in, more of destroyed stairs led up to brick pillars that blocked whatever was beyond. A damaged bureau lay to its side and it was placed next to other tumbling debris to the left. Water fell from the cracked and vaulted ceiling above, huge droplets hitting Tidus. There was a storm outside and he was grateful to be in this building, though it was damp and cold.

A small stone window, whose crimson draperies were heavily tattered, spewed into the room dense rainwater and violent winds. Tidus stepped onto a pillar that lay just below the intact window. He looked out and saw the gray waters and skies beyond. A heavy mist still lingered. He couldn't see if that beast was still waiting for him underwater. He was pretty sure that it still lurked out there somewhere, waiting for his flesh.

Tidus stepped back on the wet floor and maneuvered toward the broken desk beside him. He searched for a handle that usually was attached to all desks. A rusty knob shaped like a flower was pulled open with little force and two small flint slid forward. He was thankful that the grainy grayish-green rocks weren't in the least bit damp like everything else. Tidus slipped the rocks into his black overall's left pocket and quickly left from the cold room.

Another foyer stood across from one of the burning torches. With that notion, Tidus entered to find more cracked stone walls and debris everywhere. It was a bit darker, and he could barely see anything. Cautiously moving to his left, where the wall seemed to curve upward. Tidus suddenly stumbled upon a wooden object. He fell backward and soon noticed that a carmine chest having golden embroidery lay in his way. The opening was left ajar, and from what he could see it wasn't empty. Using his numb fingers to open the diminutive chest, a tiny bottle lay nestled within the cottony insides.

Tidus took the unfamiliar object from the chest and examined it closely. It resembled the drink Auron had given him during their plight for safety. The contents, this time, was a bright blue. He wasn't very thirsty, nor did he have any desire to waste the liquid. He put the bottle into his pants and moved on.

Staggering over broken pillars and craggy wall again, Tidus flailed his arms to keep his balance, but he found himself crashing into the other side of the wall beside him. Something contacted his skin sharply when he fell over, to his thanks. He didn't need any deadly injuries. The boy faced a lilac vase that was engraved unto the stone wall. Inside the pottery was a dead and withered bouquet. The image of fire and the bouquet instantly clicked. Before he could even register the thought that he had found everything needed to start another fire, Tidus had already taken the bouquet and, staggering along the way, was back into the circular hall again.

He rapidly sat on the ground, pulling his findings from his pockets. Tidus dropped the withered flowers unto the pile of ash. He then reached for the flint and began scraping the two rocks against each other. Sparks flew, growing greater as he used more frictional force. After a few seconds of the same movements, the spark finally reacted with the dried wood and his fire was started. Oh! How he loved chemistry! He wished he could run back to his 11th grade instructor and thank him.

Tidus fell to the ground and expelled a deep sigh, basking in the sleepy warmth of the fire. His eyes traveled above him to the roof. It was the first time he had taken notice to the dome shaped ceiling. Rain water leaked but did not fall on the fire he had made. Contented with himself and how he survived everything that was thrown at him thus far, Tidus closed his eyes.

He had fire and he had warmth, but now his stomach growled. He needed a nice and good meal. Rubbing his starved stomach, again he sat up.

"I need food!" he complained to no one. His voice echoed back to him. After a while, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and this time, they didn't open again.

"_It was a bad call you made," Auron proclaimed. He stood from Tidus' sofa and placed the glass of lemonade back unto the glass table before him. His familiar dark sunglasses were covering his eyes. "Your team lost because of you. You were all offensive, and no defense." Auron then picked a blitzball from the floor and tossed it to Tidus. He prepared to leave. _

"_You came to tell me _that_?" Tidus retorted. _

"_It's been . . . ten years. I thought you'd be crying." Tidus watched Auron leave. He then plopped onto his sofa. Auron was right. His team had lost by one point because of him. Leggus had intercepted Tidus, catching him off-guard. Tidus had told his team to prepare for a straight-line defense and it left little guard for the goal. Leggus had easily scored and the Abes were booed off of the court._

_Tidus was standing again in his home when the little boy dressed in purple appeared. He pointed at the blitzer, as if reminding Tidus that everything was his fault. That his father leaving his mother and himself ten years ago was somehow his fault. Everything. Everything was Tidus' fault. _

_The boy's lips opened, "You cried," he said. _

He woke with a start to find that his hair had dried as well as his clothes. Everything was calm and he realized that he wasn't back in Zanarkand. His team hadn't lost; they hadn't even completed the game. His father was still dead and he was still in this place. The miniature waterfall descending from the balcony floor had ceased as well as the rain. When he faced forward, his campfire was dying. Jolting onward, Tidus opened his eyes widely.

"N-No! No, don't go out on me!" he pleaded, smoke of the dying fire entering his nostrils. He stretched his fingers, already searching around. "Just hold on! I'll find more wood. Damn!" When he rose, the only image in his mind was the draperies. Hopefully they had dried out and were starchy enough, just as his clothing did, so he could use it for the campfire.

Tidus raced over to the door where he had found the flint, but before he could even push it open the sound of claws rapidly hitting brick sounded. He faced the source to find a black figure running horizontally along the balcony's banister. Its swift movements made the shape appear to be nothing more than armored feet and a blur for a body.

When it stopped, a red gleam from its beady eyes told Tidus that it had spotted him. The fiend jumped from its lofty post and crashed into the boy's pile of a dead campfire. Remembering that he had left his blade standing against a lamp post beyond the creature, Tidus slowly walked forward. He cursed himself for keeping his blade so far away.

The thing appeared to have the body of a huge and deformed spider, having four legs instead of eight and only hard black skin. Its shelled feet were very slender having a sharp tip that prodded at the ground. Its black tail, just above its backside, lifted upward and curved down.

Tidus ran for the sword. As he did so, the creature snapped and thrust its sharp claw at Tidus. It's pointed feet opened into a paw and charged. Tidus rolled to the ground, evading the blow and continued forward. Grabbing his crimson sword, he had just enough time to stop another talon from slashing his face. The creature recoiled and charged again. This time, holding his sword as if it were a bating tool, Tidus lunged the blade forward with all the strength he could muster. The weapon and the fiend's face collided.

The arachnid-like fiend flew back and hit the ground. Tidus followed with his sword tightly gripped. He was prepared to sever the creature while it was still disorientated. As he neared, the creature's hind legs shot forward and they hit Tidus, with perfect precision, in the chest.

When the creature rose with a roar, Tidus shook his head after taking the blow and quickly scrambled to get out of the way of the charging and agile beast. The monster's claws cracked the ground from where Tidus was thrown back. It recovered and followed the boy.

"Damn . . ." Tidus muttered as he flipped forward to escape another hit. Tidus quickly spun back around. He used the hilt of his sword to lift the blade over him. Using his weapon as a makeshift boomerang, Tidus tossed the blade over to the running creature. Its feet were soon caught in the spinning of the sword and it tripped, crashing into the ground.

Tidus moved around the fallen beast and as he was just about to grasp his blade again, the door that had been locked to his left before exploded. Overheated molten metal went flying from the entryway. Tidus slightly ducked at the light of the powerful explosion.

"Now what," he mumbled. He was beyond annoyed now and the fear of death began to cloud his mind.

When the light dissipated into a mere flicker, five figures appeared from the doorway, four bearing hi-tech rifles—rifles that were somewhat similar to Zanarkand's artillery—all pointed at him. The fiend jumped back from the hot metal pieces of the door.

The figure standing in the front had no rifle nor any weapon. Being noticeably smaller than the four behind, Tidus could easily see that the figure was a girl, besides her curvaceous body. The five moved forward. As the girl knelt down to grasp Tidus's sword, she faced her men behind her and lifted a hand as if telling them to not shoot.

The girl stepped forward, handed Tidus his blade, and provoked the fiend to charge for them.

"Who are you?" Tidus queried. He noticed that her attire very much favored the look of the Zanarkand Duggles' blitzing uniforms. The rubbery leather was wound tightly around her shapely and slender body. Its bright colors, consisting of red, vanilla, and green straps contrasted with the dark surroundings of the room. The girl lifted her gray goggles from her emerald eyes. Was she from Zanarkand? Tidus wanted to ask her, but the creature before them charged and hit, causing the two to separate.

Focused again on the fiend, Tidus saw that it was headed for the girl. He went to create a diversion, but was forced back along with the fiend due to another explosion. Tidus quickly rose from the ground to see the girl holding a grenade within her small hands. She lifted the small and camouflaged object to her face and grinned as if knowing she had the upper hand. The girl swatted her free right hand to the side, using her body language to tell Tidus to move from where he stood.

The blitzer faced behind him and quickly fumbled to the ground as another claw went swiping for him. He backed up, using his blade as a shield against its claws. Another grenade exploded into the bleeding beast's side. It lifted its weight from Tidus and recoiled, writhing and screaming.

Tidus rose from the ground and charged. His blade entered the fiend's spinal cord and it pierced through its chest below. The fiend fell to the ground, dead. The leather-wearing team nodded their heads in approval.

"Whew! That was too close. . . ." Tidus admitted. He sank to the ground, catching his breath. The girl continued to stare at him as if he had said something inappropriate. Her slender hands rose, calling her men forward.

A bald man stepped forward and grasped the blonde hair of Tidus. He lifted the boy to his golden beard. Tidus squirmed when the middle-aged man pushed him forward, his grip tightened.

"Hey, lemme go!" the boy protested. Another came from behind and snatched Tidus's only protection; the sword Auron had given him. Barrels of guns instantly clicked and were at eye level with Tidus. He immediately shushed, seeing as these men weren't in the least bit joking.

"_Fryd ec drec?"_ the man queried with concern, his gun poking at Tidus' back.

"Wha–" the teen said. He didn't catch a word the man was speaking, if they _were_ words.

"_Y _fiend_! Eh risyh teckieca!_" Another replied incoherent words. He sounded alarmed however. What the hell was going? Were they speaking in code or something? They sounded like newborns learning their first words.

"_Oac! Ed ec cu!_" the first spoke again. It sounded as if they were panicked. A masked man lifted a sharp hand-knife to Tidus' adam's apple and screeched,

"_Fa gemm ed?_" he asked, his grip threateningly tighter. Were they debating on whether to kill him or not? He wasn't sure. The blitzer eyed the girl before him, his blue eyes pleading for her to tell them to let him go.

"_Fyed!_" she exclaimed, her feminine vocals reverberating around the room. "_Fryd ev ed ec risyh?_" She stepped forward, speaking with the man who had the knife. Her eyes seemed to be pleading as well.

The knife flipped forward, away from Tidus' throat and it faced the girl. "_Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr,_" the man declared.

"_E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic._" The girl's emerald eyes watched the ground as she spoke. The man who possessed the knife let Tidus go free, almost unrelentingly. The peculiar girl placed her goggles back over her beautiful and radiant eyes. She placed her arms behind her and shifted her weight from side to side.

Walking up to the blitzer, she hugged him to her. Embracing him firmly, the girl whispered into his ear, "_Cunno. . . ._" and a mighty jolt crashed into Tidus' empty stomach. He gasped and fell to the ground, his last image being the strange girl and her crew walking from him, then Zanarkand again.


	5. Chapter IV: Excavation

_Short note: Next chapter will mark the first time I get to branch a bit from the story of Final Fantasy X with some good old originality! Can't wait to post it!_

**Hymn of the Fayth**

"_Zanarkand no longer exists. . . ."_

_-_Rikku

**Chapter IV: Excavation**

He hadn't realized that the shifting motions and the sound of crashing waves were near him, as if he were riding on the body of an ocean. Then, he understood that the tranquil stirring movements and the calming voice of the sea were indeed around him. Sapphire orbs shot fully open again, as if to erase the startling and frightening images and figures he saw moments after his mysterious departure from Zanarkand. Tidus had awakened suddenly, recollection and realization settling in. The area was dark with only a relieving and cool breeze that tasted of the sea. Looking around frantically, Tidus noticed that he had been placed unto an unknown metal craft in which masked and goggle-wearing men hovered over him.

If the men's faces weren't obscured within their leather face masks, Tidus would have known that they were looking at him suspiciously and cautiously, considering the way they had behaved before kidnapping him. Their faces shifted between each other, and when the blonde tried to stand, the one on the left with the rifle shoved him back to the metal ground, yelling,

"_Ced, lybdeja_!" Again, his words came to Tidus in a jumble of incoherence, but he was too angry to try and decipher their meaning. Massaging the acute pain at his chest where the rifle had struck him, Tidus threw his assailant angry blue eyes.

"Hey," the blitzer complained, "that hurt!" And the pain the foreign figure had inflicted on him made Tidus realize that most of his body was aching from bruised muscles and wounds, and it was no surprise. He had been in the face of death one too many times, and such feats warranted injury. And now that he was on an unknown vessel, with hostile kidnappers, talking back to a man with a rifle didn't scare him like it should have.

"_Hu sujehk, rayn?_" the right masked man yelled, a bit more angrily than the one on the left. He pointed his own weapon toward the teenager, its round barrel threatening to propel forth a deadly bullet. Tidus, apprehension creeping into his heart, lowered his tone in submission. He hadn't been as brave as he thought.

Moments later, a huge gear shifted nearby and Tidus raised his head to see a metal frame rising, and above that, blinding white beams flashed about, spilling its light on the metallic deck of the vessel. The two gun-bearing men turned their gaze to the opening door, the left man bowing his head at the approach of another man whose eyes were obscured behind goggles. Beside him was the female that had knocked Tidus out. Immediately, a surge of anger overwhelmed him, but all he could do was watch and analyze the girl as she neared him.

The other male was a blonde, having a single strip of short hair traveling from the top of his forehead to the nape of his neck. His bare chest and arms were engulfed with purple and blue markings that had no definite shape, only broad twisting lines. The man's gray pants, barely hanging to his waist if not for the black suspenders, ruffled slightly in the sporadic zephyr. He too wore goggles, something these people were fond of.

"_Caynlr res_," the blond, eccentric man seemed to command, pointing to either of the rifle-bearers. The one on the right upheld the duty and grasped Tidus by his layered blond hair. The girl, however, stopped the man and secured her slender arms around Tidus, helping him gain balance. She appeared to notice that he was a bit limp, possibly from fatigue, and as a result held on tighter.

The male with the mohawk nodded and began using weird body language to communicate with the otherwise noncomprehending blitzer. The man grunted fiercely, pointing at Tidus than out to the sea beyond the sea craft. He made motions as if he were swimming after displaying an attempt to dive. Finally, the male looked to Tidus anxiously, shaking his hands and hoping that he understood, which the boy didn't.

"Right," Tidus muttered flatly, "whatever." He sighed, knowing that it was hopeless to try to find a way to escape. Besides, sticking with these people would probably afford him a greater chance at survival, if they didn't kill him first.

"_Tu oui hud cbayg?_" the man suddenly questioned, straightening his position. He didn't wait for Tidus' response, so instead he protruded black goggles forward from his pocket, encouraging the boy to take it. When the blonde didn't move, the man began throwing him hands signs that Tidus suddenly understood. The man meant for Tidus to put on the goggles and dive into the ocean for whatever purpose. In spite of realizing the hint, the blitzer pretended he couldn't interpret anything, which was partially the truth. He comprehended some of what the man wished of him, but diving into the ocean was just asking for death, and Tidus wasn't going to take any risks with these guys.

"_Ehcumahla!_" the left masked man exclaimed, apparently angered by Tidus' silence. The man in the middle crossed his arms with superiority. Tidus, however, gave them a defiant look though in the back of his mind he wondered if this was the moment they would kill him.

"_Fyed!_" the girl beside him suddenly protested, stretching forth her right arm. The men immediately obeyed and that was when Tidus realized that she was the one in charge if not the one with the mohawk. Then, the sweetest and most joyous words came from the girl's lips: "They're saying that you can stay if you make yourself useful," she informed Tidus, who focused more on the language the girl was speaking. He looked on in astonishment, and when it finally settled, her words registered in his mind. Stay? He didn't want to stay. He wanted to go home. He'd argue later, but for now, he continued to be grateful that she could understand him.

"Wait!" Tidus shot his head back to the girl, fearing that if he didn't say anything, she'd stop speaking his language. "You . . . You can understand me?" his voice screeched. She didn't answer because the man with the shafted rifle hit him hard in the head. Finally fed up to admitting defeat, Tidus let his contracting muscles loosen. "Alright, alright. I'll work. . . ." he growled begrudgingly. Immediately, the girl let him go and the rest dispersed, keeping a short distance from Tidus. They waited, unmoving and with distrust.

The blitzer followed the girl attired in rubbery underwater gear to the banister of the vessel. She began speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We've found some ancient ruins right beneath us," she stated, her tone one of amazement as she pointed out into the waters. Tidus, on the other hand, could care less though he was still reveling in the familiar tongue she could speak. The girl continued, "It's not active now, but there should still be some power left down there." Tidus analyzed her. She had peculiar emerald eyes, so radiant and large. But the detail that struck him as odd were her black pupils, the way they spiraled through the entirety of her green orbs. Obviously, inhumanly. Was that the reason she wore the goggles? But why? To him, they looked like eye contacts, popular in Zanarkand, and if they were just that, why hide them?

"So, you're excavators?" Tidus asked, though he seemed uninterested. The girl's emerald orbs gleamed with excitement as she nodded.

"Yeah! Once we activate the power, we should be able to salvage the big prize," she explained, her slender body jumping with overzealousness. Tidus crossed his hands, replying with a mere mm-hmm, and she ignored it, carrying on with her bubbly disposition. She raised her right fist high into the dark sky where clouds slowly began to disperse for morning's light to shine through. "Okay! Let's get to work!"

Her excitement and fervor seemed to give the blitzer some energy and life back as he jumped upon the banister of the ship, gave the three a thumbs-up and dived into the black waters below. He figured that the sooner his task was completed, the sooner they'd trust him and lead him back home. The girl, taken aback by the boy's sudden enthusiasm, simply turned back to her comrades and ordered them to follow suit.

Below, the unknown ocean was illuminated by the bright beams of the ship peering down into the dark depths. From where he could see, an elongated and huge metal chain was linked to whatever object that was awaiting excavation to the ship and beside it, hi-tech salvaging tools littered the top of the chain. Soon, the excavating girl swam up beside Tidus, handing him an oxygen mask. He took it, remembering that he wouldn't take any chances with this girl or her crew.

As they swam along the linking chain, using it to guide them to the excavation site, the girl beside him suddenly tapped his shoulder, handing him his crimson sword they had taken from him upon kidnapping. She gave him an apologetic look, but he wasn't mad at her. He was annoyed. Annoyed that they were treating him like some slave, and annoyed that these waters, like the other, were probably infested with hostile creatures as well. Bubbles popped as they moved through the sea swiftly.

To Tidus' dismay, he and the girl were soon caught in a chain of battles with sharp-toothed, stubby-bodied, fish who were at first idly passing by before being disturbed by humans and afterwards pursuing them. The girl fared well against her opponents underwater as well, using a metal rectangular blade—that resembled a claw—she held with one hand to easily slash deadly wounds into the creatures.

Striking down attacking fish as they came, the two finally reached the excavation site where a behemoth structure Tidus couldn't make out lay nestled within submerged rocky ruins where a layer of moss covered it. Ten large and red dots of lights aligned the side of the decaying structure where a few masked excavators surveyed the area, digging through the rock that prevented the site from moving.

Tidus was the first to enter before the girl. Inside, the metal walls above had interfaces where blue foreign script ran along the screen. Tidus couldn't read it, so he paid no more attention to it, figuring that the girl could probably understand it. After all, it seemed everyone spoke her language, which further proved that he wasn't in Zanarkand anymore, and that maybe the girl was his link between his world and this one.

As they passed through the water-damaged square corridor, a metal wall obstructed their entrance beyond. Tidus turned to the girl and she only shrugged, suggesting to him that perhaps he should try banging. He was going to take her advice, but instead he discovered a terminal, camouflaged by copper decay at the base of the corridor. He banged on the rusted metal screen with the hand that was freed from carrying his sword until a blue hue filled it. Before him, a wall glowed an orange color before opening into another area. He continued hitting the terminal until the girl stopped him, gesturing toward the newly discovered area. The water had muted all sound inside the site. Letting the buoyant water lift Tidus, he paused a bit before continuing.

The excavator and the blitzer entered the blue, almost black circular surrounding, passing by five metal pillars that encircled a gray contraption of some sort. Apparently, this area wasn't the place they sought; the girl was already headed beyond. She entered another square and narrow corridor where blue fluorescent lights illuminated the pitch black hall. They swam on, reaching the core, or rather, the end of the site.

Various long valves with a glowing green hue were connected to the ceiling, traveling down to a small mechanical contrivance that was suspended by the vacuums. Their green hue seemed to be flowing electrical energy, perhaps used to power the metal object where colorless tubes were left dull. The only problem that faced Tidus and the girl was how to activate it. There seemed to be no control panel or terminal near it. With only one option available, Tidus decided to pummel the metal structure held by the valves. The girl soon joined in, and together, they witnessed the colorless tubes come to life with a burst of blinding green energy, and below, white beams rattled into function sending eight garish streams of light to the ground.

Tidus swam away slightly as the object began convulsing violently. But the girl reassured him by nodding and giving him a thumbs-up. Their task had been completed. He confirmed this by nodding his own head.

Soon, the lights shifted to an unwelcoming red and the girl immediately darted her head to the exit. Alarmed, she gestured for them to leave quickly and he followed her out, through the long and narrow corridor. He didn't need her to tell them that they were in danger and needed to evacuate. From what, he could only speculate.

They swiftly retreated, reaching the pillars that had once been dark and opaque. Now they were radiating a light-blue glow. Relief enveloped Tidus when the red lights ceased, but his peace of mind was soon disturbed by a moving figure in the shadows, sending ripples through the sea water. It soon made its self known in the dull blue light. And as Tidus feared, it was another deadly sea-creature, but this time, it was considerably larger than the fish they had fought off upon entering the excavating site.

This one had six slimy gray tentacles, an arrow-shaped head larger than his and the girl's combined, and four beady yellow eyes that analyzed its prey. The blond tried backing away from the creature reminiscent of an octopus—a common harmless creature found in Zanarkand oceans—but the girl held his arm, signaling for him to stay. He couldn't understand why she wanted to stay and fight it, until she reached into one of her suit's compartments and pulled a hand grenade from it. She showed it to Tidus before unhooking the top and lunging it forward toward the creature. Upon contact, the weapon exploded, leaving bloody fractured tentacles in its wake. Apparently, the girl was accustomed to fighting things like these as if it were some easy pastime.

The creature writhed and retreated behind one of the pillars across from its assailants. Tidus squeezed the hilt of his sword, and this time, gave his own order to the girl. An idea had quickly popped into his head, and if he wanted a swift and safe victory, he had best act on it.

Tidus waved his crimson sword to attain the girl's attention. He pointed behind the creature, and then to himself. She finished off his idea by nodding and pointing in front of the octopus-like fiend and then to her chest. He smiled, thankful that she was a quick learner. Seconds later, they cornered the hostile and mortally wounded creature. Tidus, giving it his all, merely stabbed the soft and rubbery skin of the fiend. Red and bitter blood dissolved into the water. The creature tried twisting its body, but to no avail. With broken tentacles, his strength was greatly depleted and it wouldn't be able to fend off another grenade from the girl.

The excavating girl pulled another handy grenade from the square compartment at her thigh. She signaled for Tidus to step from range, and when he did, another explosion rippled through the water. When the fiery lights and smoke evaporated, the creature lay to the ground, dead. Tidus realized that with these fiends, size wasn't a factor to how mighty and powerful they could be. The ones in and around the abandoned building were substantially more hostile and less afraid to attack though they were smaller.

The two immediately left the scene where two electrical beams of energy fed on the water and seemed to play with each other between the pillars. The other excavators waited for their return outside of the site, their faces were soon overwhelmed with relief. The girl assured them that the task had been completed and instantly, a few gave the commands to commission the controls. Soon, nearly the entire ocean was lit by powerful white beams of the structure Tidus and the girl had excavated. Now, the only obstacle they faced was lifting it from the ocean.

Upon arrival back on deck, the three males whom Tidus and the girl had left behind shortly were walking about, absorbing the information the girl offered, possibly about their findings in the ocean. "_Fa vuiht dra airship!_" one exclaimed to the blonde mohawk-sporting excavator. "_Dra naluntc fana nekrd!_" another added. As they continued to discuss things in their unfamiliar tongue, Tidus wiped his damp hair, trying to rid it of the sea water and smell. Once finished, he sauntered toward the contemplating group as they made their way further into the vessel, past the opened door. Already, the girl and the one with the mohawk had left.

"_Oui, uidceta_!" a male who was attired in a blue head wrap and goggles yelled when Tidus neared, shoving the teenager so that he wouldn't make anymore advancements forward. As the door clanked shut, the blonde yelled,

"Hey! I helped, didn't I? What . . . !" But the door remained shut, and all the boy had to accompany him was the early morning breeze, the sound of the sea, and the hunger pangs erupting in his hollow stomach. Clutching his belly, Tidus flopped to a corner, whining for food. He first studied the white beams moving about over the ship, wondering if life had ever returned back to Zanarkand. He wondered where Auron had landed after that monstrosity had sucked them both into that unreal heavenly, golden light. Was the old man still living? Was he alright?

His back now contacting the ground, Tidus closed his eyes but found sleep impossible. His mind was so preoccupied right now. He had a million thoughts running and bouncing around in his head, stringing together until he ultimately found numerous conclusions as to what force had brought him here. Auron called it Sin. _Sin_. He would commit that name to memory, understanding that perhaps this creature called _Sin _was known for sweeping people away from their homes and destroying it. After everything he had gone through, Tidus knew that this was not a dream. After leaving Zanarkand, he had slept, and woke up still in this foreign place. He wouldn't wake up in his familiar bed if someone pinched him, and just for assurance, he had tried pinching himself anyway.

For what felt like hours, Tidus was mulling over his departure from Zanarkand, and then to that deserted edifice surrounded by water, and then to this vessel where no one spoke his language but a single girl whose perky disposition seemed unfitting for her crew of hostile excavators. Just where the hell had he landed? The very question ate at his being. It was the only question he wanted answered. And his only wish was to return home. It wasn't much to ask for, a small token for the experiences he had no business going through.

As he finally dozed off, a sharp jolt pulled him away from his thoughts. The arm he had been using to support his head jerked and angrily, Tidus rose his blue eyes.

_Now what . . .?_ he thought. It was _her_ again. The excavating girl. She was holding a silver tray and a canteen with both hands. First, the girl eyed Tidus, and then she dropped the tray on the ground before him. The boy took a moment to realize that the assortment of orange and red and white and green colors were edible, having a delicious aroma. It was food!

"Right on!" he said, almost unconsciously as he used the plastic fork dipped inside the meal and wolfed the food frantically. He soon went without the utensil, stuffing his face with the saucy noodles and the soft and warm mashed potatoes with his gloved hands. And then, he felt his esophagus close, finding it hard to breath. Tidus pounded his chest, appalled, something, a ball of food was caught in his throat. He coughed and moaned, sending the girl apparent signs that he was choking. But damn, the food was just so delectable!

Alarmed, the girl threw him the canteen and Tidus gulped the icy contents, finding breath again. ". . . It's 'cause you eat too fast," the girl explained happily and relieved. He took a few more drinks of the pure water, finished his food, and rose, sighing with alleviation finally.

Nodding, Tidus patted his stomach, filled with the delicious meal that tasted homemade. He laughed for the first time, stretching his long limbs lengthily and stopping at the banister across from the two. The skies were still covered with gray boulders of clouds and the ocean was relatively calm. Tidus turned back to the girl who protested because he had ignored her. Disarming her with a handsome grin, Tidus decided to start over, beginning with the basic greeting.

"So what's your name?" Almost bashfully, the girl shook her petite body from side to side, looking directly into his blue eyes, she replied,

"Rikku," she answered. Yelling with joy, Tidus encased the girl's hands with his own, beaming with contentment.

"You _do_ understand!" he confirmed, shaking her about, displaying the perky characteristic Rikku had shown early on. He let her go, bursting into a fit of uncontrolled laughter. When it subsided, the questions Tidus wanted answered suddenly ripped from his mouth. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" Rikku took a defensive stance though Tidus didn't sound angry.

"I didn't get a chance to. My crew thought that _oui_ were a fiend," she explained. Tidus paused, confused.

"'We'?" he repeated the sound of the syllable and she nodded.

"_Oui,_" the girl corrected. "It means _you_ in Al bhed," Rikku informed. Causing further confusion for Tidus, the girl walked further away to the banister and Tidus was left to follow.

He hesitated before asking the next question that came to mind. "Who exactly are you guys, anyway?" he queried, placing his posterior unto the edge of the railing.

"We're Al Bhed, can't you tell?" she asked, as if the question were obvious. Then she paused in thought and faced Tidus. "Wait, you're not an Al Bhed hater, are you?" Rikku questioned flatly as if she were afraid of his answer.

"I don't even know what an Al Bhed is," Tidus said, jumping from the banister. He paced closely by a bit. Skeptical, the girl began her interrogation. Everyone knew what an Al Bhed was. They had a _notorious_ history. The girl had removed those insufferable goggles and hood, and Tidus could see she was blonde like everyone else on the ship. She queried, tilting her head to the side and furrowing her eyebrows, "Where are you from?"

"Zanarkand," Tidus answered easily. "I play for the Zanarkand Abes, best in the league, you know." Now he was bragging, motioning his body in the perfect stance of a blitzball player kicking a ball into a goal. She looked at him with peculiar almost unbelieving green eyes.

"Did you hit your head?" The question seemed irrelevant but he answered anyway.

"No, _you_ guys hit me," he replied to which she stepped from the banister to turn around.

"Yeah, but do you remember anything before that?" He stopped pacing, recalling everything he had gone through. Knowing that he could finally tell _someone_ how he had gotten here, the possibility of Rikku helping him get back home rang loudly in his mind. Slowly, Tidus began telling her every possible detail, stepping beside her, looking out into the vast ocean. He told her about Zanarkand, about his life style and blitzball, and then how he had ended up here, and from there, he began retelling things that just came to mind. And she listened, not interrupting him, silent.

Rikku turned away when he finished, as if she knew the question he was going to ask.

". . . Did I . . . say something funny?" he asked, peering at her.

"You were near Sin!" she said, sounding alarmed. He only nodded though it wasn't a question. "Don't worry, you'll be better in no time! They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you had some kind of dream?" Silence passed between the two. A dream? Tidus was dreaming that he lived in Zanarkand for seventeen years because of his run-in with Sin? Dumbfounded, the boy couldn't conjure a reason why she even proclaimed that. Hadn't she heard of Zanarkand?

"You mean, I'm sick?" he asked after a moment.

"Because of Sin's toxins, uh-huh," she replied sadly. The clouds were beginning to give way to the morning light.

"You sure?" Tidus asked and she nodded, but none of her gestures were convincing.

"There _is_ no Zanarkand anymore, Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago, remember? It's most likely just rubble now." He didn't say anything. She continued, "So, no one plays blitzball there anymore." She began walking away and his thoughts came to a stop. One thousand years? Zanarkand had been destroyed a thousand years ago? Utterly perplexed, Tidus tried hard to find words to appropriately tell her that she was mistaken.

"What are you talking about a thousand years ago? I saw Sin attack Zanarkand with my own eyes! I almost died, you know? How could that be?" He walked toward her, wanting answers desperately. "No way."

Rikku paused, and then took another approach to quell his growing agitation and disbelief. "You said," she spoke slowly. "You said you play blitzball?" He nodded. "Then go to Luca. There might be someone you know or recognize there." Tidus only looked at her and she urged him on with hopeful eyes.

". . . Luca?" he questioned, clueless. The Al Bhed sighed with forfeit and began pacing about as if contemplating. Finally, she tapped Tidus on the shoulder, and proposed, "I'll get you to Luca, promise!" He didn't seem happy or even up for the trip. Her eyes became perplexed. "Luca's a start, but you'd rather wait around here?" He shook his head and she smiled. "Alright then, wait here. I'll go tell the others." Rikku walked away and again, turned back to face him for the final time. "Oh! Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand when we get there, okay?" she asked him, pointing her left finger at Tidus. "Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone, and as an Al Bhed, I don't want that."

Crestfallen, he agreed as if nothing were wrong and Rikku disappeared behind the threshold that separated deck from interior.

His Zanarkand? A holy place for someone named Yevon? It couldn't be a possibility. How could it? He had thought that Sin merely took him to a far away place where he could return in a few days. That this whole ordeal wasn't as serious as being swept into the far-off future. That was the theory that had ultimately got him through everything. Returning home in a few days. But then, what Rikku had told him, was he actually a thousand years into the future?

_No friggin' way!_

Angered beyond control, Tidus kicked the banister of the ship, yelling to anyone that could hear him that he had not been sent a thousand years forward. Almost immediately, the ship shifted violently, titling toward the opposite side. Tidus fell to the ground rolling numerous times until he slammed into the metal banister on the other side. The Al Bhed excavators quickly emerged from their posts, bringing with them their artillery. Somehow, they seemed to have been expecting the saccade. A few rolled to where Tidus had been forced, trying desperately to stand but losing their balance all the same.

Just beyond the ship a massive wall of water rose from the sea and made its quick advancements forward. The Al Bhed were yelling frantically at each other, and the only word Tidus could make out was _Sin! Sin! Sin!_

_Sin was here!_

The violent black water splashed onto deck and as Tidus held on for balance, the ship seemed to thrash about violently. He was finding it difficult to hold on, just like before, but only Auron had been there to lift him up, to try and save him. The deck was filling with cold water. Fish and other sea creatures wriggled about on deck, trying to find water to breathe in. The monster of the sea, Sin, had propelled the dying creatures from their homes just as it did Tidus.

Perhaps if he jumped into the maelstrom below, he'd end up back home. Hesitating, Tidus encumbered his sweeping thoughts to just jump. Gripping the banister now, he tried to clear his head of the Al Bhed and their horrified screams.

And then. . . .

Unbelievingly rapid, Tidus was forced overboard, into the black void of the ocean yet again, plummeting in its violent salty waves. He saw Rikku trying to reach out to him, but he was too far from the ship that seemed to rise as he fell into the twirling waters. Suddenly, his head came into contact with something hard and metallic and he was knocked unconscious.

* * *

**_Due to other projects that I am currently working on, this novelization will be postponed until further notice. Thanks to the few reviewers who have taken the time to read this! I am greatly sorry for the delay! TT_**


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